Sunday, 30 March 2025

GANG FIRES AT NEIGHBOUR WATCH MEMBER

A Neighbourhood Watch Committee (NWC) member in Bulawayo’s Nketa suburb narrowly escaped a bullet fired by one of three armed men they had confronted during a night patrol.

The latest incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, comes as the city continues to grapple with escalating gun violence.

A week ago, Sergeant Abel Masava, a police officer, was fatally shot while attending a crime scene in Tshabalala suburb.

Sgt Masava was attending a scene with another officer and two complainants when he approached a group of five men. One of the suspects pulled out a firearm and shot him in the head, leading to his immediate death.

The Nketa incident involved Mr Yeki Ncube, a member of the Nketa 8 Neighbourhood Watch Committee, who was on patrol with two other members.

They encountered three men carrying bags and requested to search them. Mr Ncube said the suspect initially resisted the search request, claiming he and his accomplices were innocent.

Moments later, another suspect brandished a knife while his accomplice drew a firearm and fired a shot aimed at Mr Ncube, who miraculously escaped injury and possible death. The attackers fled into the darkness after the shooting.

“I still can’t believe how the bullet missed hitting me. The guy just pulled out a gun and fired a single shot aimed at me,” Mr Ncube recounted. He suspected that the men might have just robbed a house in the area.

The community is now living in fear, with residents expressing concerns about their safety. Mr Golden Gadzirayi Nyambuya, a Nketa resident, said: “We are no longer safe when armed men are roaming around in our streets at night. Neighbourhood Watch Committee members patrol the suburb voluntarily, and now their lives are in danger.”

Secretary of the Nketa 8 B2 Square Residents Association Mr Prince Manditerera called on the police to deploy armed officers to patrol alongside the neighbourhood watch members to enhance security.

“The presence of an armed police officer would act as a deterrent to these thugs. Right now, our neighbourhood watch members are risking their lives patrolling the area without any means to defend themselves,” he said.

Mr Manditerera called for tougher measures to curb the rising cases of gun-related crime, including tighter gun control regulations and increased police visibility in crime-prone areas.

“We appreciate the work that the police are doing, but we need a stronger partnership to combat crime,” he said.

Bulawayo has been grappling with a disturbing rise in armed robbery cases, with criminals increasingly using firearms to terrorise residents.

Fuel service stations have also become prime targets, forcing business owners to alter their operating hours by closing early instead of remaining open 24 hours for security reasons.

Earlier this month, six armed robbers were gunned down by police detectives at a tollgate along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road. The gang had earlier in the night robbed a grocery store in Juba, Insuza, in Umguza District. Chronicle

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